Animal Planet Takes on Climate Change With ‘Melting: Last Race to the Pole’

As if 60-below-zero temperatures, gale-force winds and hungry polar bears weren’t enough to make a 480-mile race to the North Pole highly improbable, what happens when the ice is falling away right under your feet? A journey already dangerous  and brutally taxing to the max may soon become impossible.

On Wednesday,  Dec. 9, Animal Planet takes on the topic of climate change with the two-hour special, Melting: Last Race to the Pole.

Melting follows polar explorer Eric Larsen and extreme mountaineer Ryan Waters in their harrowing attempt to make it to the North Pole faster than anyone else in history—while on their own, pulling everything they need on two 320-pound sleds.

Shooting their own footage, the experienced explorers discover a rapidly melting ice cap leaving thinning ice, deep trenches and more open water as a result of global warming, they believe, along with many scientists. “Telling the story of the North Pole and a melting Arctic Oceans has been the primary mission in my life for over 10 years,” Larsen says. “Partnering with Animal Planet is an incredible opportunity to bring this message to a global audience.”

Here, a sneak peek at what you’ll see on screen:

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Melting: Last Race to the Pole, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 9/8c, Animal Planet